


fix you // hal mason

by razorbackmason



Category: Falling Skies
Genre: F/M, falling skies - Freeform, falling skies fanfiction, hal mason fanfiction
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-04
Updated: 2015-08-14
Packaged: 2018-04-12 23:12:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 17,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4498329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/razorbackmason/pseuds/razorbackmason
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>lights will guide her home; ignite her bones. and, he will try to fix her. fix her copyright razorbackmason 2015, All Rights Reserved</p><p>*this story is also on my wattpad page*</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. one

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, all! So, I recently joined AO3 (literally, today.) and I did plan to have this as a backup account for if I get my account suspended on Wattpad. So, I'm working on posting all my stories from my Wattpad onto my AO3, so I can at least continue writing them if Wattpad suspends my account! 
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy my fanfic! 
> 
> XO Sadie

_Ba boom... Ba boom... Ba boom... Ba boom..._

My eyes open, and I suddenly sit up with a gasp. Taking a look at my dark, dirty surroundings, my hands begin to shake, and my heart thuds in my chest.

_Where am I? What am I doing here? And... who am I?_

Looking around me, I see a lot of kids my age, face down. They have these weird bug things on their backs, glowing orange. I slowly reach my hand behind my back, to see if I too have it. My hand instantly pulls away when I feel the hard shell, and I gasp once again. 

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I see it.With six legs and two T-Rex-like arms, it bows its head as it sleeps peacefully. 

_What is that thing?_

_It doesn't matter_ , I tell myself. I _need to get out of here._

First things first, I had to get whatever it was that is on my back, off of it. Reaching both hands behind me, I start to tug against the bottom of the thing. Slowly and painfully, it peels off. I grit my teeth, wincing in pain as the last of the weird harness thing is removed. 

Dropping the harness to the floor, I start to disorientate. I shake my head suddenly, focusing on what I have to do.  _Get somewhere safe, far away from here. Survive._

Jumping to my feet, I carefully make my way towards the door. My eyes dart around me, checking to see if I've woken anyone from their slumber. Pulling the door open carefully, I poke my head out to see if the coast is clear before sneaking into the hallway.

I keep against the wall as I make my way down the long hallway towards the exit. By the looks of things, I'm in a high school. God knows how long I've been here, like that.. that  _robot_. 

_It doesn't matter anymore, I'm getting out now. I just wish I could help those kids._

_S_ _top_ , I tell myself.  _You probably can't help them now. They're long gone._

I get to the main entrance, and grab ahold of the handles. I turn my head slowly to take one last look behind me, and my heart skips a beat. Two of those.. whatever those things are, are right behind me, staring at me with their buggy eyes. I turn my head back around again, quickly pulling open the doors and running out as fast as my legs can carry me. 

I hear a whirring, and look up to something staring me down. Something metal, and huge. Lasers shoot out of its head towards me, and then it raises its arm. My eyes widen, and I suddenly start running as I hear an explosion behind me.

Tears stream down my face as I run as fast as I can, doing my best to dodge the bullets and missiles firing at me. My legs slowly start to turn to jelly and my vision is darkening, but, I knew I had to keep going, as far away as I can. 

The gunfire seems to be dying down, the further I get into these woods. I stop running and take wide strides deeper and deeper, trying to find someplace to spend the night. That's when I see it, and I fall to my knees, taking a deep sigh of relief.

A little further up the path, I see a flickering porch light. I see a small cabin in the glow of the light. It looks like a straight shot from where I am to that cabin, I can probably make it there without an ambush. Getting back on my feet, I begin to walk again.My head starts pounding, and my legs grow weaker and weaker.  _Come on, just a little further. I'm almost there, I'm almost safe.._

 _Finally!_   I make it up to the cabin. I peek through the small glass windows. There's no one inside. I put my hand on the door knob, twisting it as the door opens. I carefully make my way inside, and then shut the door behind me. I breathe another sigh of relief as a feeling of protection sets in around me. I quickly look around at what's inside the cabin, using the light shining outside to see better. 

There's a furnace in the corner of the room, along with a few shelves with some things on them – matches, arrows, and some bullets. Next to the furnace is a bundle of sticks, probably to light the furnace with. There's a table by one of the windows on the left side of the room, with a chair set up by it. The table seems to be stained with blood, and there's a knife shoved into the wood. On the right side of the room is a chest with a padlock on it. There's a bed next to the chest, and a small table next to the bed. Next to the door is two hooks, one with an archer's bow on it, and the other has a sniper rifle. I start to disorientate again, so I decided it was time that I laid down. I could feel the back of my neck was bleeding, so I had to patch that up before I did anything else. I searched around the room for something to tie around my neck, before my eyes landed on the chest. 

 _There has to be something in there._   _Something to help me survive the night._

Grabbing the gun from the wall, I use all of my strength to start bashing against the padlock. After four heavy blows, it snaps off. I put the gun back on the hook and open up the chest, and I smile to myself.  _Jackpot!_

Medical supplies, filling the chest to the brim. I scour through it, finding some bandages and painkillers and fishing them out. Going further down the chest, I pull something else out. A black and white patterned bandana, possibly to use if you get low on bandages. I close up the chest again, getting up off of the ground and sitting on the bed. 

I first take the painkillers – which tasted horrible swallowing down without something to drink with them. I then unfurl the bandages, wrapping them carefully around my neck. It was a lot harder to do this on your own, however, I guess I'd have to get used to it. There's no signs of any other humans around. Everyone's gone.After wrapping up my neck, cringing as I feel the spikes poking out of my back - probably left from the harness – I then tie the bandana around my neck, which should help to keep the bandages in place. I then get up to grab the chair and place it against the door, just under the doorknob. 

Then, everything goes black, as my legs suddenly stop working and I fall backwards, with my head hitting the floor with a large thud.


	2. two

_Several Months Later.._

The sunlight streaming through the window caused me to awaken from my slumber. Groaning softly, I sit up, stretching my arms up towards the sky then out in front of me, out to my left then to my right. Placing a hand to the back of my neck, I feel those same, familiar spikes from the harness. I let out a deep sigh, before swinging my legs over the edge of the bed and standing up.

I walk over to the chair, and pick up my clothes. I pull on my dark grey tank top and my camouflage cargo pants, then pull on and lace up my black combat boots. I then walk over to the table by the bed and grab the bandana, putting it around my neck and tying it loosely.

I take my hair out of the braid it is in and run my hands through it, before tying it in a much neater looking braid that hangs of my left shoulder. I pick up my leather jacket, pulling it on and then I let out another deep sigh as my morning dressing routine finishes.

Since staying at this cabin after my escape, small details of my old life have begun to come back to me. My name is Phoenix, last name unknown. I assume I am around sixteen years old, I look it anyways. My parents aren't around anymore, obviously. I don't know much about them, but, I assume with the whole camouflage thing, my dad must've been an Army guy. And, my mother must've had light green eyes, since those are my eyes.

My stomach grumbles loudly, and I place my hand against it. Looking over towards where I usually keep my food - hunted animals, all skinned and gutted myself - I see that I haven't got any food left, so, that means that I have to go out and find some. I go over to the weapon hooks, tapping my finger on my chin as I decide which weapon to go for. With my bow, I need a lot of strength to fire a far enough shot, but, with my sniper I sometimes get bullet casings in the meat which sucks. I shake my head, deciding to take both.

I reload my sniper before strapping it to my back, along with my bow and arrows. I grab my knife and shove it in my pocket holster, grabbing a few more sniper bullets just in case, before going over to the door and opening it, stepping out into the dangerous world.

I look around me at all times as I venture deeper into the forest. These alien things can jump out from anywhere, at any time. I had to be quick on my feet and sharp-minded if I had any chance of survival. Thankfully, over these past few months, I taught myself how to hunt and catch game to feed myself every morning and night, and also how to tend to any wounds.

However, I don't always eat animals that I catch and kill, I do eat tinned foods and the like. If I don't feel like eating a carcass like some monster, I grab my gun and venture out to the south, towards a small town not too far from here. The town with the school that I was in before I escaped. I don't usually run into trouble out in the open, but, if I ever do I have a powerful weapon on my back and also a knife, so, I think I can handle myself pretty well. I try to do my 'shopping', if that's what you want to call it, during the daytime, so that I can easily see any critters in my path.

As I walk deeper into the forest, I spot a few deer drinking at a pool of water. "Jackpot," I whisper with a grin as I take my gun off of my back and aim it towards my prize.

_Line up the shot... line it up... and..._

"Hey!"

 _Goddamn it_. The deer get scared and run off. I let out a deep sigh, slowly loosing my temper at this asshole who just lost me my food.

"Hello?" the voice gets closer and louder, dragging out the 'o' sound, and I roll my eyes. I hear footsteps as boots crunch on the ground, making me even more madder.  _Whoever this person is, they're about to pay.._

"What the-" I whip my head around to tear the asshole a new one, then I suddenly stop as my heart stops for a second and the air is knocked out my lungs. Dark hair, tall, kinda muscular... holy shit. This asshole is a cutie.

He chuckles, "Drooling, sweetheart?"

I cough awkwardly, a blush rising in my cheeks.  _God, this is embarrassing._

"Um... hi." I manage to say, smiling awkwardly.

"Hi." he smiles back.

"Uhh..." I shuffle my feet on the ground, coughing awkwardly again. "You kinda just... lost me my breakfast..."

"Oh right," he says. "Sorry 'bout that."

"I-It's no worries." In protest, my stomach grumbles. "Okay, maybe it is a worry."

He chuckles again.  _God, he has a nice laugh._  "You're funny. I'm Hal, by the way. Hal Mason."

"Phoenix," I introduce myself back.

"Last name...?"

"I don't really know it." I answer with a small shrug.

"How so?"

"I..." I try to think of a good lie. I mean, a good icebreaker is not  _'I don't know my last name because I've been harnessed by aliens and have forgotten everything about myself'_. "I have a condition where my memory erases every night."

_Smooth, Phoenix. Steal the character of Lucy from 50 First Dates.._

"Alright then," he chuckles again, nervously. "You out here on your own?"

"I guess." I answer. "I have a small cabin a few miles back. It's not really much, but, it's something."

"Right," he answers. "Well, I'm with the 2nd Mass, with my dad and two brothers, and a whole lot of other people. We're holed up in a summer camp by the lake just a few miles that way," he points behind him, flashing me a smile, "if you wanna, you know, join us."

"Are you serious?" I ask.

"Yeah.. I mean, I did just lose you your morning meal. It's the least I could do. We have lots of food with us, some shelter... all the things you're gonna need to get by."

"Hm.." I think it over. I've been offered sanctuary, someplace different than a 4-by-5 foot cabin that's slowly falling apart. "I dunno.."

"Is there anything I can do to change your mind?" he smirks, raising an eyebrow.

"Hmm.." a playful grin plasters itself on my face. "Well, there is one thing.."

"What?"

"Here's the deal. The first person to find and kill three deer, and drag the carcasses back here is the winner. If you win, I'll come back with you. If I win, you leave me alone. Got it?"

He nods, returning the grin, "Affirmative. So, this tree?"

"Yep." I nod. "Ready?"

He gets into a ready position.

"Steady..."

"Go!" he yells, and we both take off into the forest.


	3. three

"I'm getting you next time, Mason!" I yell with a laugh as Hal leads me into the 2nd Mass' quarters.

Hal shakes his head, chuckling, "You just can't handle the fact that I beat you."

"You didn't beat me!"

"Oh, really? Then, how come I was able to carry all three of those dead deer, whilst you struggled with even one?" he smirked, raising an eyebrow. When I didn't respond, he grinned. "Exactly."

"Whatever," I mutter. "You're still gonna pay, though."

"Anyways," he changes the subject, gesturing around the grounds. "Welcome home."

It was a bustling community. It was like a mini town, with a small shop selling candy, and even a bar. Kids were running around everywhere, laughing and screaming with delight. One of them, a boy with blonde-ish curly hair, stopped running when he saw us, and ran over.

"Hal! You're home!"

"Hey, buddy," Hal ruffles the boy's hair.

"Who's this?" the boy asks.

"This is Phoenix." Hal answers, then turns to me. "Phoenix, this is my little brother Matt."

"Hi." I wave at him.

"Is Dad around?" Hal asks Matt.

"Yeah, he's meeting with Captain Weaver in the counsellor's office. There's a new mission coming up, you should check it out."

"Alright, Matt." Hal nods. "Go play. Be careful, though."

Matt nods, then runs off to join the other kids. I only then notice the rifle on his back.

"Um.." I turn to Hal, pointing at Matt. "Your brother carries a gun around? He looks about twelve.."

"Yeah," Hal replies, and I just stare at him with slightly widened eyes. "Don't worry, the gun doesn't have any shells in it. We keep them for the real emergencies."

"Oh, alright then." I nod. "Understood."

"Good, no need to get in a panic," Hal chuckles. "C'mon, let's go see what Weaver wants."

**

"Hal, glad you could finally join us." An older looking guy perks up as me and Hal walk into the office. The guy notices me and says, "Who's this that you brought along, then?"

"This is Phoenix." Hal introduces me to everyone. "I found her in the forest while scouting. I thought she could use a proper home."

"That's nice of you, we could use some extra help around here, what with all this Skitter business. Damn things are increasing in numbers."

"Skitters?" I whisper to Hal.

"Spidery alien things."

_Oh. The things that harnessed me. That's what they're called?_

I nod, as the older guy continues, "Glad to have you in the 2nd Mass, Phoenix. I'm Captain Dan Weaver, you can call me Cap, Captain or Weaver, whichever works best for you. This here," he gestures to the man stood next to him with the beard, "Is Professor Tom Mason, Hal's dad."

"Hey," the professor greets me. "Good to meet you."

I nod, "You too."

Weaver speaks again, "Dammit, Ben! Stop staring at the newbie! You'll freak her out!"

I only then notice the boy with the short brown hair staring at me. I quickly look down, cheeks flushing red.

"That's my other little brother, Ben. Dorky little fucker-"

"Language, Hal."

"Sorry, dad." Hal apologizes. "But, yeah. You get my drift."

"Am I allowed to talk about this mission or not?" Weaver asks, his tone sounding annoyed.

"Yeah, go ahead, Cap." Professor Mason says.

"Thank you, Tom." Weaver then clears his throat. "We need to move out. After our last recent ambush, the Skitters are bound to know we're here, and they'll bring everything they've got to wipe us out. Hal, Phoenix, I want the two of you to head out and find us a new place to set up camp. You can do that tomorrow, though. We'll let Phoenix get herself settled in first."

"She can bunk with us, if she wants." Professor Mason says. "Hal seems to have taken quite a liking to her."

"Dad," Hal whines. "Embarrassing."

"Sorry, son," a smile rises on the professor's face. "Just, y'know, keep it in your pants."

"Dad!" the company chuckles.

"Alright, alright," Weaver butts in. "Company dismissed. It's getting dark, we should get some rest."

Hal leads me out of the office, and I catch a glimpse at the setting sun. It's still as beautiful as ever, even in this harsh, messed up world.

"Alright," Hal breaks me out of my trance, and I turn to look at him. "Do you want to get some grub first, or go straight to bed?"

"I could use some food.." I say.

"Well, alright then." Hal smiles. "This way."

**

Slop is dunked onto my plate and I look at it in disgust. Looking up at the guy who served it to me, a grin settles on his face.

"Bean surprise, served extra special for our newest recruit," he says sarcastically. "Enjoy."

"Easy there, Pope." Weaver says as he passes by. "Or you're off kitchen duty."

Pope mutters something as I move along, picking up an apple from the fruit basket. I place it onto my tray then turn around, looking for a place to sit down and eat.

"Phoenix, over here!" Hal calls me over, and I make my way through the crowd to his table. He's sat with his dad and brothers, and a woman with long, brown hair who is sat next to Hal's dad, laughing with him and the rest of the family over something.

"Phoenix, nice of you to eat with us." Professor Mason smiles as I place down my tray and sit down next to Hal. I notice Ben staring at me again, but I try to ignore it.

"Thanks for having me," I answer. "Like, with everything. The 2nd Mass, the missions, everything."

"It's no worries," the woman answers. "It's nice to have another friendly face around here. I'm Anne Glass, one of the doctors here for the 2nd Mass. A paediatrician, but, I can fix up just about anything. If you're sick, or you just want a friendly chat, come find me or Lourdes, we're in the big bus in the middle of the camp."

"I'll be sure to do that," I answer, taking a bite of the apple. I make a noise of pleasure as I let the delicious taste sink in. "My God, these apples are amazing."

"I'm glad you enjoy them," Anne smiles. "I'm thankful we have that orchard nearby. We get ripe, fresh fruit pretty much everyday."

"I miss eating apples, I used to have them all the time as a kid." I say, as another bit of my past life comes into my mind. "Mom was obsessed with me eating healthy."

"Oh, yeah, I was gonna ask," Professor Mason says. "How'd you end up out there on your own anyways?"

"Uhh.." I try to think of another good lie. I just got here, and the last thing I wanted was to be seen as the freak. "I lost everything when the invasion started. My house, my parents... I've been wandering around lost ever since it started, trying to find a place to go to. I guess I've found it now."

"You survived pretty well for the past year." Professor Mason says, as he takes a bite of his food. "You must be pretty well-handled with weapons."

"I guess so," I shrug. "I mean, I only have a sniper and a set of arrows and a bow. I can slay deer with a few shots. I also have a knife, which I guess is something other than having nothing."

"Well, we've got a big armory if you're looking to add a few more weapons to your inventory." Anne smiles. "And, a team of strong fighters, Ben and Hal included."

"Yeah, I can kill just about anything, and I look hot doing it." Hal chuckles.

"Yeah, yeah, show-off." Anne rolls her eyes, then stands up. "I'm just about done. I'm off to bed. See you guys in the morning."

"Night, Doctor Glass." me and the three Mason brothers say.

"Night, Anne." Professor Mason smiles, as Anne leans down and kisses him. When Anne leaves, he speaks up. "Hal, you should probably take Phoenix to our cabin to get her settled."

"Yes, sir." Hal laughs as he salutes, and the two of us stand up, pushing our trays to the middle of the table. Hal leads me out of the mess hall towards a cabin nearer to the large lake. He opens up the door and flicks on the light, so that I'm able to see the inside of the cabin with ease.

It quite well furnished for a cabin that looks pretty rustic on the outside. There's five beds, with one pushed against the far wall to look like a couch. There's a bookshelf next to it, stacked with a bunch of magazines and comics. Next to each bed is a chest. It looks really comfortable, and homey.

"Home sweet..." Hal looks around the cabin, then shrugs. "Cabin."

I giggle softly, "Nice place."

Hal smiles. "Thanks. You can have that bed against the wall. Let me just make it up for you.."

He walks over to the bed, moving the pillows and placing them where they rightfully belong. He then opens the chest and pulls out a blanket and a rolled up bedspread without the cover on it. He places the bedspread over the bed, laying the blanket on top. He then stands back, admiring his handiwork before turning to me with a smile.

"There you are, a bed." I walk over to the bed, checking it out.

"Thanks." I reply. "Just, um, a quick question. Where's the bathroom?"

"Oh, right. Just out the door there, to the right, the big rectangular building next to the mess hall. We got showers in there, toilets and all that stuff for you to freshen yourself up."

"Thanks," I say, then let out a loud, long yawn. "Oh, damn. I think I'm gonna hit the hay."

"Alrighty then." Hal nods. "I'll be.. Uh.. I'll be here, I guess."

I nod, pulling back the bedspread and climbing under the covers. I rest my head against the pillows and turn to face the wall, eventually dozing off into a deep sleep.


	4. four

The birds sing in the trees as I woke up, the sunlight shining in my face. I groan softly, sitting up as I take in my surroundings. It's quiet in the cabin, and empty. All the bedcovers are thrown back messily. I sigh softly, swinging my legs over the side of the bed and stretch out my muscles, letting out a longer, louder groan.

"Hey there, Arizona," Hal walks in, smiling brightly at me.

I roll my eyes, "My name's not Arizona, Hal. It's Phoenix."

"And, Phoenix is in Arizona." Hal chuckles. "God, did you listen in your Geography classes?"

I shake my head, getting out of bed. "Where is everyone?"

"Dad and the rest of the brood are getting some breakfast. I just finished mine, so I came to see if you were awake. You know we gotta do that scout, right?"

"Yeah, yeah." I say. "Can I at least shower first? I've spent the last year in the wilderness, so, I may stink just a tad."

Hal lets out a small laugh, "Alright. And, when you're done.."

He goes into the duffle bag under his bed, pulling out a set of clothes. He throws them in my direction, zipping up the duffle and standing up.

"There. So, now, you can get out of those clothes."

"Thanks," I smile.

"So, uhh, yeah." he shuffles his feet awkwardly. "When you're done in the shower, meet me at the entrance, okay?"

"Got it." I grab my bandana, tying it around my neck to hide the spikes, before walking past Hal and leaving the cabin. Following his directions from last night, I easily make it to the showers. I shut the bathroom door behind me, before heaving a sigh and getting myself undressed.

I gasp as cold water hits my body. I turn the shower off, turning on the hot tap, and the same cold water comes out. I groan again, deciding that this would just have to do. I look on the shelves for anything to wash myself with. All I find is a few bars of soap and a sponge, which looks like its seen better days.  _Gross._

"Oh well," I mutter to myself. "This'll have to do."

I try not to spend so long in the shower as I did before the invasion, but, I spend just long enough to get rid of the dirty, forest-like smell lingering on me. I climb out of the shower, looking around for something to dry my body off with. I spot a towel and grab it, quickly wiping down my body so I was dry enough to put the clothes on. I then use the towel to dry my hair, and style it into my familiar braid.

I grab the bandana and tie it around my neck, taking a look at myself in the grubby bathroom mirror. My pale-ish skin still has a small bit of dirt in it, but, I guess I'll just have to deal with that. My light green eyes slowly get some colour back to them, which I smile warmly at. I'm wearing an old band shirt - Guns 'n' Roses, to be precise - paired with a flannel, red and black checkered. I have ripped skinny jeans on my legs and black combat boots on my feet.

_I look almost normal, and, if it weren't for the spikes in my back, I would be._

I don't want to keep Hal waiting, so, I turn away from my reflection and walk out of the bathroom. Following the signs, I make it to the entrance. There's a few bikes out there, and Hal leans against a black one. He looks up at me, smiling.

"Hey, there you are," he stands up straight. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah, let's do it."

"Wait, one more thing.." Hal reaches behind him, taking a gun from his back and handing it to me. "Take my spare assault rifle, y'know, just in case."

"Thanks," I strap the assault rifle to my back.

"You can take Dai's bike, if you want. Or, ride with me. If you don't think you can handle a 900-horsepower-"

The rev of the bike's engine cuts him off, and he stares at me in shock. I chuckle.

"I know how to handle a bike, Hal Mason." I rev the engine again. "Now, c'mon! We're losing daylight here!"

I take off the brake and follow Hal out of the camp. We ride together down the road until we reach a split, then we stop.

"One more thing," he says, reaching into his rucksack. He takes out two walkies, handing one to me. "Keep contact. I'll take the left road, you take the right. Tell me if you find anything."

"Got it." I speed off down the road on the right, looking out at all times for an ambush. I see a bunch of buildings in the distance and slow down, cruising by to get a better look. A burnt-out sign catches my attention, telling me that this place is a motel. I come to a halt, getting off the bike and crouching, readying my gun for a possible attack.

I can't seem to find any Skitters roaming the place, or any of the giant robot things - Mechs, as the word around the 2nd Mass is - but, I do another final sweep before pulling out the walkie and contacting Hal.

"Halle Berry," I chuckle slightly at the nickname. "Hal. I found a motel a few clicks down the right road, and I can't seem to find any Skitters or Mechs. I did two sweeps of the place, and, it seems clear."

"Alright, Arizona," he chuckles, and I can picture him shaking his head as he chuckles. "I'll be there soon. Check to see if there's anything we can take back with us."

"Alrighty, see you soon." I shove my walkie back in my pocket. I make another sweep around the motel, grabbing any provisions and shoving them into a discarded duffle bag. I hear a motorbike engine and look out the window. Hal pulls up in the courtyard and I smile, going out to meet him.

"So, Storm, you finally made it." Hal stares at me blankly. "Storm? Character in  _X-Men_? Played by Halle Berry? God, don't you know Marvel?!"

"Arizona, I made it." Hal smiles. "Arizona. State in the great United States? Phoenix is in Arizona? God, don't you know Geography?!"

"Touche," I chuckle.

"So, you say this would be a good place to set up camp?"

"Yeah. There's quite a few rooms, around twenty, twenty-five? We could use the main reception part as some sorta Commander's Office or War Room, whatever you call it. Maybe get a med bus and put it in the courtyard here? Set up a couple of tables and chairs for a dining area? What d'ya think?"

Hal stares at me, a small smile on his face. I blush slightly, laughing with slight nervousness, "Hal? Earth to Mason?"

Hal lets out a chuckle, and I sigh with relief when he's suddenly back on Earth, "You really got this all planned out, don't you?"

"Yeah, well-"

"Shh.." we go quiet as we hear strange sounds in the distance. Skitters, darn it.

"I thought you said this place was clean?" Hal whispered, as we crouched behind a bench the minute we heard a Mech on its way.

"It was!" I whisper-shout. "I did two sweeps, three when I looked for food!

"Well, apparently, you didn't look hard enough.." The Mech and Skitters soon pass, and we wait until they're far into the distance before coming out of hiding.

"Come on," Hal says. "Let's get back before they come back and wipe us out."

I nod, running towards my bike and getting on. I rev the engine and wait until Hal comes out, riding side-by-side with him until we return home.


	5. five

We arrive back at camp and park our bikes where we found them. I turn off the ignition and get off the bike, just as Hal does.

"Do you want your gun back?" I ask, reaching to get the gun from my back. He shakes his head.

"Nah, you're alright. Why don't you go tell Weaver about the motel. See you later?"

"Sure," I say, turning and walking to the counsellor's office to tell Weaver about the place I had found earlier. I knock on the door and he calls me inside, and Professor Mason and the others he is with turn to face me.

"Ah, Phoenix," Weaver says. "Back from the mission I see. How was it?"

"It was good," I say, feeling awkward without Hal here. I keep near to the door, afraid to get involved with whatever they were doing.

"Come closer, girl." Weaver says, noticing my lack of involvement in the discussion. "We don't bite, you know."

I laugh nervously, shuffling forward.

"Ah, the first week jitters." Professor Mason chuckles. "Remember when you had that, Anthony?"

"Yeah, sir, I do." Anthony, the dark-skinned man brandishing an assault rifle, smiles. "I got over that quickly though, seeing the world we live in now. With that world out there, stage fright should be the least of my worries."

"Too right," Professor Mason chuckles. "Anyway, Phoenix, did you find anything?"

"Yeah," I say. "An abandoned motel not too far from here. I swept the place three times, it looks to be pretty sturdy."

"Good work, where is it?" Weaver asks, and I step forward to point it out to him on the map. I follow the road on the map with my eyes until the cut off, then look down the right road until I see it on the map. I then point, "Here."

"That doesn't look too far away, a few hours maybe?" Professor Mason comments. "Did you run into trouble while you were out there?"

"No, well, a bunch of Skitters and Mechs came along, but, me and Hal hid out of sight. They never saw us and never attacked."

"Good work, soldier." Weaver comments. "Alright, we should all get ourselves packed up and ready. We're moving out at dawn. Company dismissed."

Everyone starts to disperse, when Weaver holds me back. When the room is empty except for me and him, he comments, "So, are you enjoying life with us so far?"

"Yeah, it's much better than living out on my own in the forest." I reply.

"Yeah, I'll bet it is." Weaver smiles a little. "So, are you settling in okay? The Mason clan aren't causing trouble, are they?"

"Nah, they're good. I'm starting to like it here."

"Good, good. Say, why don't you go and help Doctor Glass down in the med bus? Make sure she and Lourdes get packed up okay?"

"Sure, I can do that." I smile.

"Alright, then. You're free to go."

"Thank you, sir."

"Please, call me Weaver." he chuckles, as I walk out of the building to go and find the med bus. I wander around the camp, searching for it, before eventually finding it. How I never noticed it parked next to the mess hall, I had no idea.

"Doctor Glass?" I call out as I enter the med bus. "Hello?"

"Hello," a girl the same age as me, with dark brown hair, comes out from behind a curtain. "May I help you?"

"Oh, um, Weaver sent me here to help you guys pack up. We're moving out at dawn."

"We are?" the girl asks, then her eyes go wide and her face lights up. "Oh! Anne told me about you, you're the new girl! Phoenix, right?"

"Yeah," I nod.

"Well, I'm Lourdes. I help Anne out here on the med bus."

"Right, right." I nod. "Anyways, you need any help around here?"

"Sure, we could use an extra pair of hands. Here, let me show you what needs doing.."

**

Later that night, I collapse with a long, exasperated sigh on the bed. I hear a chuckle, and look to my left as Hal is on his bed, untying and taking off his boots.

"Long day?" he asks.

"You have no idea." I answer.

"Well, you better get yourself some rest. We're moving out at dawn, and you can be positive I'll be the one to wake you up myself." Hal lets out another chuckle and I groan, rolling over onto my front.

"I'm not a morning person." I say, my speech muffled by the pillow.

"Well, you better start becoming one. Weaver doesn't like people sleeping in, not with the war going on out there."

I groan again, and Hal once again lets out a chuckle.

"I'll take that as you saying goodnight to me." I don't see it but I'm pretty sure Hal is smiling. "Well, ugh to you back, Phoenix."

After a few hours, everything goes silent. I fall asleep to the peaceful snores of the Masons, awaiting the next morning where we'll have to move out of camp to a new one. This has now become my life.


	6. six

_"Up and at 'em, soldier, up and at 'em!"_

_"Dad," I groan, rolling over and pulling the covers up to my chin, not opening my eyes. "I'm too tired."_

_"Phoenix," Dad says, "How are ya ever gonna get into the Army like your old man if you stay in bed all day?"_

_"I don't wanna go into the Army, I wanna stay in bed!" I whine._

_"Really, because that's not what you told me last time." Dad chuckles. "Come on!"_

_I_ _sigh, rolling over to face him, letting my eyes open. He beams at me, and I roll my eyes before sitting up."Fine. Give me five minutes, would ya?"_

_"I'll give you one." He laughs softly, before turning and walking out of my room, leaving my door open slightly. I sigh, throwing back the covers and swinging my legs over the edge of the bed, stretching my muscles out before standing._

_I draw back my curtains, letting the bright Chicago sun stream through my window. A paper boy cycles down the street, throwing newspapers onto each lawn. Birds sing in the trees. It seems like just another perfect day._

_I move to my dresser, grabbing out my camouflage cargo pants and a black tank top. I grab my phone from the charger and walk to my door, opening it so that I can go to the bathroom to shower._

_I have a quick shower, rinsing off my dirt and sweat from the night before, dead skin cells and the like. I wash my hair also, scenting it with strawberry flavoured shampoo. I then turn off the shower after rinsing the shower gel off of my body, stepping carefully out and grabbing the towel from the rack. I dry off my hands so that I can switch of the music playing through my speakers, and then I wrap the towel around my body._

_I dash back to my room, conserving as much heat as I can. I get back to my room and shut the door once inside. I walk over to my bed and drop my towel as I put on my underwear and bra. I then pull on my tank top and pants, grabbing my combat boots from by my door and putting them on, lacing up the laces._

_"Phoenix Anderson," I hear Dad call up the stairs. "Get your tush down here and get some grub!"_

_"Momma made pancakes!" Mom coos, and I chuckle. "Come get them before they go cold! Or before Troy eats them!"_

_Troy's my annoying older brother, who always steals my food at any point. I hate him, but, at the same time he can be quite cool. I quickly rub my hair dry, putting it into a braid that hangs off of my shoulder, before opening my door and stepping out. I hear a loud groan and a burp, and Troy also appears. Our eyes meet, and, immediately, I know what he's planning, just by the way he's grinning at me._

_"No!" I yell, running towards the stairs. "You are not getting my pancakes again!""_

_Oh, I am, Arizona!" Troy chuckles, darting after me._

_"My name's not Arizona, dumbass!" I yell as I reach the bottom of the stairs. I skip the last two steps, jumping and my feet land with a thud on the ground. I stumble slightly, and Troy dashes past me towards the kitchen._

_"_ _Dang it!" I yell, running after him. By the time I catch up, he's already sat in my seat, shoving a whole pancake in his mouth. Pig. He just grins at me._

 _"_ _Stupid Efron!" I pout, folding my arms over my chest._

_"Arizona!"_

_"Efron!"_

_"Arizona!"_

_"Ef-"_

_"Phoenix, Troy, hush!" Mom scolds, waving the spatula at us. "Phoenix, sit down. I can serve you up some more pancakes."_

_I sigh, sitting myself down in a seat. Mom fills a plate with pancakes and puts it in front of me. I douse them in syrup before picking my fork up, beginning to dig in._

_"_ _I'm going to go grab the morning paper." Dad kisses Mom's shoulder as he moves past her, walking down the hall. Troy keeps staring at me, grinning at me as he fills his face with pancakes. He makes the habit of moaning every time he does, disgustingly eating with his mouth open._

 _"_ _Pig," I sneer. "How you have a girlfriend is beyond me."_

_"I'm just hot, deal with it." He smirks, putting his feet on the table._

_"You're disgusting." I roll my eyes. "_

_Troy Anderson, you better get your feet off of my table!" Mom scolds him, and Troy rolls his eyes and puts his feet down. "And, stop winding up your sister."_

_"It's her fault!" Troy whines. "She called me a-"_

_"_ _Dad?" I notice Dad stumble in, gasping and looking like he'd seen a ghost. I am immediately out of my seat, running over to his aid. Mom follows close behind, with Troy lingering in the doorway._

_"Dad, what happened?" I ask him, eyes wide in terror. He's bleeding – something might have bitten him, but, what?_

_"A-A-A.." He stutters, struggling for breath._

_"Calm down, Dad." I tell him. "What happened?"_

_"A-Aliens." He chokes out. "Aliens."_

_"What?" I can't believe what I'm hearing. Aliens? Really? I didn't think they existed.._

_"Perposterous." Mom says. "There's no such thing as-"_

_It all happened so fast after that moment. Two weird, spidery things tore through the door, dragging Dad away. Mom lets out a piercing shriek as another one comes in from the back. I'm frozen still, watching in horror as my family is torn apart – literally. I'm shaking when its all over. Mom and Dad lay strewn out along the floor, their blood filling the halls. Troy's dead in the kitchen, guts sprawled out on the kitchen table. They're all dead. Gone._

_A sharp pain hits me in the back of the head, and then everything goes black.._

**

I shoot up quickly, gasping. I'm covered in sweat, and shaking. I look around at my surroundings, calming down as I realize I'm in a safe place, and alive. 

Hal is asleep in the bed next to me, and I can hear him softly snoring. Professor Mason is in the bigger bed nearer the door, sound asleep. Ben's in the bed across from me, not facing me – well, none of them are – and Matt's in the smaller single bed by the door, clutching a tattered old teddy tightly to his chest.

I'm still shaking a little, so I decide to get some fresh air. I grab my bandana from the table by my bed, tying it around my neck and then I draw back the covers, getting out of bed and creeping over to the door. I open the door as quietly as I can, wincing when I hear some stirring. They all slowly turn over, one by one. Professor Mason first, then Hal, then Matt, and then Ben. I let out a small sigh of relief, slipping out of the cabin and closing the door softly behind me.

 I walk quickly to the bathroom, going inside and shutting the door behind me. Going over to the sink, I turn on the tap and wet my face, gasping slightly as the cold water hits my hot, sweaty face. I do this a couple more times before turning off the tap, wiping my face dry with the towel. 

I leave the bathroom, closing the door behind me. Another door opens on the other side, which was the boy's bathroom. Someone drunkenly stumbles out, I can't see who it is until they look at me and drunkenly grin.

"Rough night, newbie?" Pope asks, slurring his words. I awkwardly stand there, not knowing weather to respond or not.

"Uhh, yeah." I answer, being as vague as possible.  _No one can know about me, or what I've been through. I'll be a freak in their eyes; a threat._

"Well, it's only gonna get worse, what with these Skitters walkin' around, enslavin' us all," Pope lets out a chuckle. "Mason's got us all thinkin' we'll be alright, but, we won't. The world's gone to shit, newbie. It ain't ever gonna change."

I'm silent as Pope stumbles off. When he's crawled back inside whatever hole he came out of, I move again. I walk down to the lake, which isn't too far from the Mason cabin. I sit on the decking – or, what's left of it – and stick my feet over the edge, letting my toes touch the cold water.

It is then and only then that I let the tears stream down my face. I softly cry, trying not to cry too loud and attract attention from anyone that's out this late at night – or early, I'm not too sure. Memories flood my mind. Memories of before, when times were better. Dad teaching me to ride a bike, Mom reading to me at night, even Troy, even if he was a bastard. Then, memories of the present. Escaping the Skitters, all those months of loneliness and survival. Joining the 2nd Mass, meeting all of these great people, some that I've grown to love over the past few days. We all have each other's back, which is great.

I think about what would happen, if they found out about my spikes. As quickly as I gained these friends, I would lose them. They'd turn against me, trying as hard as they can to kill me. I'd be torn apart in a matter of minutes, and forgotten in a matter of seconds.The thought of that makes me cry more. 

I cry my heart out for a long time, until I can see daylight looming overhead. People will be waking up soon, preparing for dawn when we move out. I stand up, wiping my eyes of the last few tears before turning my back on the lake and the sunrise, going back to the cabin to pretend everything is fine and normal. 

_Pretend that I am fine and normal.._


	7. seven

"Arizona," I groan, pulling the covers closer to me. I hear Hal chuckle, as he continues to shake my shoulder to wake me up. "Arizona, rise and shine."

"No," I whine. "I don't wanna."

"Alright," I can sense him grinning. "You asked for it."

Immediately, I start to be tickled. I gasp, wriggling and writhing under his fingertips as they run up and down my body. I flip myself over, my eyes open and my mind alert.

"Alright, alright!" I laugh, sitting up. "I'm up, I'm up!"

"Good." he grins. "Get packing, we leave soon."

Hal turns, leaving the room. I let out a sigh as I grab my bag out from under the bed. I only then notice that the only ones left in the room are me and Ben. He doesn't look at me, he only focuses on shoving his clothes into his bag.

"Hey," I say, hoping to get his attention. "We've never really had a chance to talk. I'm-"

"I know who you are,"he cuts me off. "I don't have time to talk." He zips up his bag, putting it on his shoulder and then leaving the room, closing the door harshly behind him.

_Wow. Rude._

I let out another sigh, rubbing my face with my hands, before starting to pack up what little stuff I have.

**

I join the rest of the 2nd Mass out by the entrance, standing near Hal as Weaver talks to the rest of us.

"Alright,"he begins. "We're moving out to a small motel a few clicks north of here. Thanks to Phoenix, we'll hopefully be safer than we ever were here. Now, make sure that you have everything you need to get by, as we're not coming back here."

Murmurs are exchanged among the group, as Weaver continues. "Are we ready? Let's move out!"

We slowly start moving, getting out of the camp and onto the road. I'm walking with Hal near the front of the group, talking to him about random stuff.

"So, how'd you end up with the Mass?" I ask him.

"Me, Dad and Matt found Weaver a few days after the invasion started. Weaver was doing a sweep around Boston, in our neighbourhood. Weaver personally found us and enlisted us. We've been with the Mass for a year and a bit now, enlisting who we can, giving them the stuff they need to survive, that sorta thing."

"Right, right." I nod.

"It's funny," he begins to laugh. "I used to be this superstar lacrosse player. Dad was a high school history teacher. And, Matt.. he wasjust a little kid, y'know? He's too young to be in this sort of world."

"Yeah, I understand, I guess." I say. "I was gearing up to be in the Army, that's what my Dad wanted me to do. I loved my Dad."

I let out a sigh, "I loved all of my family. Even my asshole brother,Troy. He'd steal my food and drive me nuts, but, he was still there for me a lot of the time, y'know?"

Hal nods. "I guess that's just the world we live in."

"Yeah,"I sigh, shifting my bag that's falling from my shoulder.

"Okay,I think we should just drop this subject, it's too saddening." Hal chuckles. "Uhm... what's your favourite colour?"

I let out a laugh, "My favourite colour?"

"Yeah,"he grins.

"Uh.."I think about it, trying to recover what it was from my memories."Maybe blue? Light blue. Sky blue."

"Nice, nice." Hal nods. "Nothing like the sky right now, though." He laughs, looking up at the sky that is pouring rain down on us.

"Yeah," I smile, chuckling. "How about you, then?"

"Hm.."he thinks, humming. "I dunno. I like all colours."

"Right, right." I nod. "Understood."

We're getting closer to the motel now, which makes me happier and calmer, and less awkward.

"Hmmm, what else to ask.." I hear Hal mumble to himself. "Oh, I know! What kind of music do you like?"

I shrug, "All types. I don't really have a specific favourite, though. I've not had a chance to listen to music since... I can't really remember, to be honest. You?"

"I dunno," Hal shrugs. "Whatever music's good to kill to."

I let out a laugh. "Good answer. What kind of music is that?"

"Powerful rock music." he laughs. "Zepplin, maybe a little Motley Crue. Stufflike that."

"Oh, you're an eighties lover, then?" I ask.

"Yeah, but I like some of the current stuff too." Hal says. "Korn, We Came As Romans, that sorta thing."

"Right, right." A memory suddenly returns to me. I hear music in the background, and I'm dancing around to it. I pick up a CD cover; I see words on it.  _Mayday Parade, Tales Told By Dead Friends_. "Uhh, I guess I like this band, Mayday Parade. You heard of them?"

"Yeah!" He chimes. "They're good, I guess. Haven't listened to them that much."

I nod, as we arrive at the motel. We clamor in, starting to find places to set up beds and stuff. All the vehicles park up behind the reception, and the med bus sets up in the middle of the grounds. When everyone's in, Weaver stands on a crate and whistles, getting our attention.

"Alright, Mass. We made it. Now, I'd like to see these people in my office. Hal, Tom, Dai, Anthony, Ben.."

Weaver rolls down the list, then dismisses us. I follow Weaver and the others called to his office. He stands by a table, looking at the map that's spread out.

"First off, I'd like to say a good well done to Phoenix for finding this place for us. We've all survived just that little bit longer, thanks to you." Weaver says, and everyone mumbles a word of thanks towards me. I nod, accepting all their thanks.

"Now, down to brass tacks." Weaver says. "We're running a little low on supplies. Tom, care to explain?"

"Yeah, yeah." Professor Mason takes over the meeting. "Anne told me that we're running out of medicine, and we're also running out of food too. We could use some more ammo as well, what with us fighting Mechs and other hard-skinned stuff, we waste ammo in a flash. We're gonna need to make supply runs, so that we can get this stuff quickly and quietly before people start to worry."

"Thank you, Tom." Weaver takes back control of the meeting. "I'm setting out three small groups, all of them pairs. Since you're all our strongest fighters, you can probably handle without a huge number of people, and we can't afford casualties from others. One groups going for ammo, another medicine, and a final one for food."

"There's a hospital north of here, around ten or eleven clicks." Professor Mason circles it on the map. "There could also be some food there, we don't know. If the medicine team do find any, bring it back. The more food, the merrier. For the food team, there should be a small town nearby, thanks to intel from Hal. A few miles west, right?" Hal nods, and Professor Mason continues.

"As for ammo, maybe check the town as well. Army Surplus stores, maybe even some houses. Anything you can salvage, hold onto it."

"Alright, these are the teams." Weaver says. "Hal, Anthony, you're on medicine. Dai and Tom are on ammo. Ben, Phoenix, you can handle the food. Company dismissed. Be back by sundown."

We all leave Weaver's office, breaking off into our teams to get the supplies. Ben takes off, walking straight out of the motel and into the woods at a fast pace. I sigh, speeding up my pace to catch up to him.

_This should be fun.._


	8. eight

The silence was extremely awkward between us. Ben was busy going through the food at the back of the diner we were in, whilst I was on guard. It's been about an hour, and we've gone through seven different buildings - houses, schools, even a marketplace - and he has yet to even say hello to me.

I finally pluck up the courage to speak, "Are you going to talk to me, or are you just going to ignore me until sundown?"

"I have nothing to say to you." he answers, as I watch him shoving the food into the bag. "There's no need to talk if I have nothing to say."

"Now you're just being plain rude," I mutter, before talking louder. "Well, we're on the same team, so, it'd be nice if you maybe said something to me."

"Fine," he sighs, bringing out the duffle bag which is now full. "Hi."

"Finally, he speaks." I say, with a slight roll of my eyes. "Well, thank you for finally saying something to me."

"Whatever, don't mention it." he says, dropping the subject as quickly as it came. "C'mon, we should probably move out. This place is now as empty as it'll get."

"Alright then, let's go." I say, turning and walking out the door. I suddenly stop, putting my hand up to stop Ben from coming out of the building as well. I go back inside the diner, shutting the door behind me and putting a chair under the handle. I crouch down by a window, watching them pass.

"What's going on?" he asks.

"Skitters, and Mechs." I say. "We'll never make it out alive this way. Go look for a back entrance. I'll stay out here in case we get any company."

He nods, going into the back. I stay out front, aiming my gun out the window as I hear the Mechs slowly passing, the Skitters in front of them staying close by. The way they were moving was creeping me out, so, I was thankful for when they finally left.

"I found a back entrance," Ben says when he comes back. "I looked out, and did a sweep both sides of it, right down to the roads. It looks clear. There's a general store just down the street, there could be some supplies in there."

"Alright, let's go." I say, grabbing the food bag from the counter and following him out of the building. I keep alert at all times as I follow him through the back alley to the store. I'm first inside, with him after me so he can be the one to keep watch this time.

I sweep the aisles, filling my empty duffle bag with whatever we might need. Medicine, food, some coal to make fires with, gasoline, anything we can salvage, just like Weaver said.

I join Ben back at the front of the store, putting the now heavy bag down on the ground. "I got the stuff. It should be enough to get us by for a while. Should we head back?"

"Yeah, let's go." I say, opening the door and walking out the building.

"Wait!" Ben yells to me, and I stop. I turn back to face him, and he's pointing up at the sky.

"Mech," he simply says. Everything after that happens so fast. I turn to the Mech that's towering over me, with two Skitters approaching quickly. Ben starts firing at them as I'm frozen still, with the Mech aiming at me.

"Phoenix!" Ben yells at me through the gunfire. "Run!"

It was as if the superglue sticking my feet to the ground had then been broken. I turn around and start running as fast as I can. Not fast enough, however, as the Mech still manages to get me. A sharp pain runs through my body, sending me to the ground as I black out.

**

"Phoenix," his voice is a blur. "Phoenix, wake up!"

My eyes open, and I stare up at Ben who stares down at me, eyes wide and alert. I lift a hand to my head as I sit up, groaning.

"What happened?" I ask.

"A Mech got you, clipped you in the leg. C'mon, I'll help you back to camp." He helps me stand, but I shrug his aid away from me the minute I'm on my feet.

"I've got it." I say.

"But, you're wounded," Ben says. "I doubt you can even walk. Doctor Glass can-"

"Doctor Glass will not be doing anything," I say, as I start walking - limping - back to camp. "I can patch myself up just fine."

"But-"

"But, nothing!" I say, stop and turning myself around to face him. "I'm fine, or, at least I will be when I fix myself up. You don't need to worry about me."

"Oh," he says, stuttering slightly. I then start to feel bad as his sad eyes fall to the floor. "Okay. Forget I said anything. It's fine."

I sigh, turning and limping back to camp, with Ben following suit.


	9. nine

I finally manage to get back to camp, my leg sore and with me feeling like I'm about to faint. Ben follows close behind like he has for the past few miles, like he's ready to catch me if I fall or something.

I see Hal talking with Dai when I get back, and the conversation between them immediately stops when he sees me. Hal quickly walks over to me, helping me up as I start to slump over.

"Phoenix, Phoenix, whoa." Hal says as he helps me stand up. "Are you alright? What happened?"

"Mech.." I mumble, losing consciousness slowly. "It... It clipped me in the leg.."

"I tried to warn her," Ben says. "It just got to her too fast and-"

"We need to get you to-"

"I'm fine," I say. "I've got it. Ben, can you take my bag of stuff back to Weaver?"

"Yeah, I got it." Ben takes the bag from my shoulder, putting it on his own shoulder. "Are you sure you're gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, totally." I nod.

"Are you sure?" Hal asks. "You look like you're about to-"

"Honestly, boys, I'll be fine," I laugh. "Just chill out, would you? I'll see you both later."

I make my way past Hal to my room. Well, when I say 'my room', I really mean it's a room joined onto a room that is shared by the Masons. The only thing that separates us is a sliding room divider.

I get to my room, sitting on my bed and lifting up my trouser leg to look at the damage. As I touch the wound, more blood comes out, making me wince in pain. I get off of my bed, going over to the closet in the room and grabbing two sleeves that had been ripped off an old shirt - there were a lot of old clothes in the wardrobes of the rooms in the motel when I swept the rooms salvaging supplies. Some clothes fit me, others didn't, so I took the ones that didn't fit and made them into makeshift bandages to help with wounds, or to cover the spikes sticking out of the back of my neck.

Sitting back on my bed with the sleeves, I tie them tightly around the wound. It hurts for a little while as the tightness sets in, but, the pain soon eases. I fold my trouser leg back down, only to immediately pull it back up again after noticing something.

My leg's started getting a green tint to it. I raise an eyebrow in confusion, putting my hands to my leg and running my hands over it. Occasionally, I prod at parts of it, no matter how much it hurts when blood rushes out from the wound. The skin's harder than it was before.  _Huh. Weird._

Then, I put a hand to the back of my neck, on the cloth of my bandana. I am then on my feet, walking - limping - quickly to the bathroom. Since we're in a motel, we each have a bathroom. Even if we do have to share it.

I get inside the bathroom and shut the door behind me. I lift up my shirt, standing with my back to the mirror. I turn my head to look at my back reflected in the glass and gasp at what I can now see. The same green tint develops around my spikes that run down my back. It also looks to be crusty as well.

_What is happening to me? Am I... Am I turning into one of them?_

I shake my head, pulling my shirt back down. "It's nothing," I say to myself. "I'm fine. Calm down, I'm fine."

After taking a few deep breaths, I feel myself getting calmer. I then walk out of the bathroom after I have calmed down, walking out of my room to find something to do.

_**_

I sit up in bed, once again drenched in sweat and shaking.  _Another nightmare, great. What's this, my second one in two days?_

This one was slightly different though, to my last one. It was jumpy, like a movie playing on something with bad video and sound quality. I see Skitters, and the other harnessed kids. One of them looks strikingly familiar, but I can't figure out who it is. I can only see the back of him. I see my escape, the Mechs shooting at me. Me arriving at that cabin. Everything then goes black, and I'm awake.

I get out of my bed, going over and open the slider splitting up me and the others. I only open it enough so that I can look through and eventually get out. They're all sound asleep, like they were during my first nightmare. I slip past the slider, creeping over to the door to the outside and opening it. I slip out into the cold and shut the door behind me. I lean against the railing, letting out a sigh.

It's quiet. I wrap my flannel around myself, shivering in the cold. I look out amongst the motel, and beyond at the surrounding forests. I hear gunfire from afar, another encampment with trouble from Skitters, maybe? There's an explosion, and I wince.  _More lives lost to this terrible world of ours_.

I stay outside for a little bit more, looking at the few stars in the sky. Thinking, remembering. I eventually get too cold, so I open the door and go back inside. I creep over to my side of the room, pulling the slider back to its place. I get back into bed, letting out a small groan as I get myself comfortable, before I finally fall back asleep again.


	10. ten

"Arizona!" Hal calls as he walks into the room later the next day. I look up from what I'm doing - lacing up my boots, I had only just woken up five or ten minutes ago, I'm a very late sleeper - and smile at him as he leans against the wall between his and my area.

"Hey, Halle Berry." I finish lacing my boots, getting up off of the bed. "What's up?"

"Weaver needs us for scouting, since he forgot to tell us to get fuel during yesterday's scout." He says. "And, since you're all dressed and ready, we can head out straight away."

"Sure, cool." I say. "Meet you down at the entrance in a few?"

"You got it, Arizona." he chuckles as he leaves the room. I grab my bandana from the table as he leaves, tying it around my neck. I grab my gun from under my bed, then shove my knife into my holster. I quickly check that I have enough bullets in the gun before leaving the room, making my way over to where I am supposed to meet Hal.

"How far to where we're gonna go then?" I ask when I get to him. He gets away from the wall, and we start walking out of the area.

"Two or three miles that way," he points straight ahead. "Where you and Ben were sent to get food, I saw there was a gas station there."

"Cool, cool." I say, walking along with him.

"I think I also saw a used car dealership, if you wanna check that out," Hal says.

"Yeah, I can do that." I say. "We'll split up when we get there, rendezvous in a few hours or so?"

"Sure thing," he says. Once we get to the town, we say a quick goodbye, after Hal tells me where the dealership is. I nod, telling him I'll meet him soon, before heading in the direction he pointed out.

_**_

"Did someone order some fuel?" I call out as I enter the gas station later on, pushing a shopping cart along that had two or three kegs of gas in it. Hal emerges from the back of the station, his face lighting up like a Christmas tree after seeing the loot.

"Awesome," he grins. "Damn, Arizona. You really did strike gold. You're a true Texan."

"I'm actually from Chicago, but, I do see what you did there," I smile. "There's, uh, a couple few kegs back at the dealership, I should go grab them. Can you take these kegs first?"

"Sure," Hal says. "Here, give me the cart. There's a van parked out the back that seems to work fine, we can use that to get the fuel back home."

"Sure thing," I smile, as he takes the cart from me. He goes to walk off, then stops, turning around.

"Hey, uh, Phoenix," he scratches the back of his neck, shuffling awkwardly. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," I say. "I'm fine. Why'd you ask?"

"It's just, after the attack and all." he says. "You seem kinda shaken up about it. That, and I often see you leaving late at night. I was just wondering what's up."

"Nothing's up," I say, speaking quickly. "And, wouldn't you be pretty shaken up after a Mech nearly killed you?"

"Alright, alright," he laughs, raising his hands in surrender. "Dropping the subject now."

"Just go load the van," I say, rolling my eyes with a smile. "And bring that cart back to me when you're done, Mason. I've got more Christmas shopping to do."

He laughs, walking out to the back. I shake my head, chuckling too. He soon returns with the cart and I go to gather the last of the fuel. Once it's collected, I push the cart back to Hal and he loads it in the back of the van.

"Nice ride," I whistle, before letting out a laugh. "What I wouldn't give to have this rust bucket."

"So long as it gets us from A to B," Hal says. "I'm all for it."

I roll my eyes with a smile, "We locked and loaded, Mason?"

"Yes, ma'am." Hal says as he shuts the back of the van, walking around and getting in the driver's seat as I get in the passenger seat. Hal fiddles with the key that is in the ignition, twisting it and twisting it until eventually the engine starts purring. Hal then smiles, looking at me.

"It's alive," he starts chuckling like Dr. Frankenstein. "It's alive!"

"Then get us home, Mason!" I say. He backs out of the lot, getting us onto the road.

_Boom!_

Hal immediately stops the van. We share a look, both our eyes wide.

"What was that?" I whisper.

"It sounds like it came from that way.." he says, looking in the direction of the motel.

"But," I say, my voice shaking. "That way's the motel."

Hal is then turning on the engine again, shoving his foot down on the gas. We speed down the road, towards the sound of the explosion.


	11. eleven

"Hal," I say, as Hal speeds down the road. His hands grip the steering wheel, and I can see his knuckles slowly turn white.

"Hal, talk to me!"

"What?" He growls, turning to me. I flinch at his words, shuffling away from him in my seat.

"Nothing," I say, my tone quiet. "Nothing."

He sighs audibly, turning back to the road. I stare out of the window, feeling like I'm about to cry, yet I hold my tears back.

We soon get to the motel, and Hal brings the van to a sudden stop. He gets out the car, and I follow, walking at a slower pace than him as he runs into the motel, which was once fully built but now lay in piles of rubble. Bodies are scattered everywhere, and the stench of death lingers.

"Hal!" We hear a voice amongst the cries of agony from those alive, and Matt comes running towards us. Tears stream down his face, and I hear Hal sigh as he begins to run too, meeting Matt in the middle.

"Matt!" Hal hugs Matt tightly as Matt's arms wrap around the taller boy. Hal bends down to Matt's level, looking into his eyes.

"What happened?" Hal asks.

"Skitters, and Mechs.." Matt says, his voice shaky as he sobs. "They got to us, Hal."

"Are you alright?" Hal hugs Matt again, tighter this time. "Where's Ben?"

"Here.." Ben says, as he limps towards us. He has a few bullet holes in his legs, and his skin is growing paler. Matt and Hal run towards him, and Hal catches him when Ben falls.

"Ben!" Hal says, crouching down when he places him against a pile of rubble. "What happened to you?"

"The Mechs got me.." Ben says. "They... They came in through the back, none of us expected it.."

"How long ago was this?" Hal asks.

"Not too long after you guys left." Ben says, before coughing. His face was blackened around the edges from the dust. Hal places a hand on Ben's back, rubbing it as the coughing eases.

"We need to get you to Doctor Glass," Hal says. "Where's Dad?"

Matt and Ben share a grave glance.

"Ben," Hal says, his tone stern. "Where's Dad?"

"He.." Ben begins to say. "They got him, Hal. The Mechs were way too fast. He's hurt, pretty badly."

"What?" Hal says, and I could see that his heart was shattering. "He's... He's hurt?"

Ben nods, "Last I saw, Weaver was taking him to Doctor Glass."

"Well, we need to go see him!" Hal says, getting up from his crouching position. He helps Ben up, putting one arm around his shoulder to support him. They then start walking away, and I follow.

"Hal-"

"Phoenix, not now." Hal says, cutting me off. They then carry on walking, leaving me behind.


	12. twelve

I walk into the medbus after a while, after looking for other survivors with Anthony, Dai and Weaver. Lourdes looks up at me from what she’s doing and smiles.

“Hey, uh, Lourdes,” I greet as I go up to her, helping her take some pill bottles from a crate.

“Phoenix,” she says. “Find any other survivors?”

“Not really,” I answer sadly. “Damn Skitters. If we hadn’t have left, maybe-”

“Hey, don’t blame yourself.” she says. “It’s not your fault, or Hal’s.”

I sigh, “How’s he holding up?”

“Ask him yourself,” she says, looking behind her at the shut curtain. I see a silhouette of Hal, and someone else too, they’re comforting him. “He hasn’t left his dad’s side since he came in here with Matt and Ben.”

“Alright,” I say, moving away from the supplies. “Call me if you need any more help, alright?”

“Will do,” she smiles, and I walk over to Professor Mason’s tent.

“Hey, Phoenix!” I hear someone call me, and turn towards the sound. Ben’s there, standing as best he can on his crutches. I smile, walking over to him.

“Ben, hey,” I greet him. “Matt,”

Matt, who’s sat in the chair beside his bed, looks up at me and smiles with a small wave. I give him a small wave back and a smile in return.

“So, Crutches, how’re you doing?” I ask, nudging Ben lightly in the shoulder.

“Never better,” he chuckles. Over the last few hours since our scouting mission, me and Ben seemed to have got on quite well. I don’t know what it is, really. One minute he was glaring at me and never wanting to be around me, cursing the ground I walked on, and, now, it was like we were the best of friends. Maybe because he pretty much saved my life not that long ago. I don't really know. “Bit awkward to walk, though. Lourdes says I should get some practice with the crutches.”

“What the doc says goes, I suppose.” I say. “But, hey, at least you’ve got someone to talk to.” I look over at Matt, then back at Ben.

“Yeah, it’s better than being alone, I guess. Not many people like to be around me, what with the…”

He pauses, and then shakes his head. “Never mind. Forget I said anything.”

“Okay,” I say, raising an eyebrow. “Look, I’m gonna go check on Hal, see how he’s holding up and stuff. Talk to you later?”

“Alright, but, uh, word of advice. Be careful. Maggie can get pretty hostile around girls that Hal’s taken a liking to.”

“I’ll watch out for her then,” I say. “See you, Crutches.”

I walk away from Ben, going back to the area I wanted to originally go to before I got sidetracked. I pull back the curtain softly, stepping inside. Hal’s sat in one of the plastic chairs, with his head bent low and his hands clasped together. A blonde sits next to him, with her arm around his shoulders and her talking softly to him. The two of them look up when I enter.

“Phoenix,” Hal says, trying to hide his sadness.

“Hal,” I say.

“Uh, Phoenix, this is Maggie.” he motions to the blonde, who scowls at me.

“I see Cabin Girl is here to take over.” she mutters, then talks louder. “I’ll go find something else to do with my time then. I’ll see you later, Hal.”

Maggie gets up from her chair, and I step to one side to let her through. She glares at me as she goes past, and I swear I can hear a small growl erupt from her. I bite my lip softly, as she leaves the ‘room’ and the silence surrounds us.

After a while, I sit down next to Hal. I look over at Professor Mason, as he lays on his bed. An IV sticks out of his arm, and he’s got a bandage wrapped around his head, and a gauze on his eye. More bandages are on his arms.

“Rubble fell on him,” Hal says, not looking at me. “A bit of piping got him in the eye. Lourdes said he’s ruptured his retina.”

“I’m so sorry, Hal.”

“I shouldn’t have left,” Hal says, sniffing. “If I had been here, to protect him, to protect Ben, we wouldn’t be in here.”

“Hey, hey.” I say softly. I’m not sure whether or not it’s acceptable to put my arms around him and pull him into a hug, but, seeing as we’ve known each other for quite a while, and seeing as he really looks like he needs it, I do. He starts to cry softly, as I sit there with him.

“Lourdes says it’s not your fault, or mine. No-one could have prevented this, Hal.”

Hal sniffs, and nods. “I guess, but, I feel like I’ve failed him, y’know.”

“No, you didn’t.” I say. “We still got the fuel, like we were asked to. And, he and Ben are still alive, which is a good thing. A great thing, actually.”

“But,” he sighs. “I still wish I was there, to maybe help them that little bit more.”

We sit in silence for a little while, before I break it. “Uh, I know this is probably weird to say, but, I’m worried about you. Like, I’ve never seen you this upset before, or upset in general. It kinda scares me. Like, I’ve only ever know a happy you. Never a sad you, or an angry you, or even a tired you-”

“Where are you going with this?” Hal finally looks up at me. His eyes are still sad, but, he has a tiny smile on his face.

I shrug, “I literally have no idea. I’ve never really comforted anyone before.”

“I can see that,”

“So, uh..” I trail off, looking for my next thing to say. “Get better, Halle Berry.”

He chuckles softly, a single chuckle that sounds like he just coughed, but still, a chuckle. “I’ll try, Arizona.”

I get up to leave then. As I pull back the curtain, Maggie is there. She’s stood with Lourdes, and stares daggers at me as she moves around the table to go back to Hal, like I expected.

“So, your magic healing touch didn’t work, then?” she asks.

“I don’t have a-”

“I was being sarcastic.” she says, rolling her eyes. “Seems your luck is running out. Everyone’s praised you for finding this place for us, people seem to think you saved them, just that little bit longer. Then, a day later, the place gets ambushed. Some dead, many injured. Like death’s following you.”

“What’re you getting at?” I ask.

“I’m saying, you should just leave. Before you slaughter all of us.” Maggie goes back inside the curtain then, shutting it harshly behind her. I stand there for a while, as the words sink in slowly.

_Maggie’s right. My luck is running out. Sooner or later, people are gonna find out about me, about the spikes, about everything. I’m already turning because of them, sooner or later I probably will slaughter them all. I should leave, I should stay as far away as possible. For their sake, and for mine._

“Phoenix?” Lourdes asks, snapping me back to reality. “Are you alright?”

I look around, and everyone’s looking at me. Lourdes, Ben, Matt, even Anne as she comes out from tending to a survivor.

“Uhh,” I say, trying to keep calm, and normal. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m good. I should probably, um… go look for more survivors.”

Lourdes nods slowly, giving me a weird look, as I quickly walk out of the medbus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so, this was basically supposed to be yesterday's update, but, since my internet was being a real male's genitalia last night, and I was also quite sleepy, I put it off until today. 
> 
> Since I'm counting this as yesterday's update, all you readers are going to get another update later on today, to be today's update. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed the update! 
> 
> ~ Sadie


	13. thirteen

I get back to my room - or, what’s left of it - and it’s only then do my tears start to fall properly. I let out a sob, going over to my bed and laying on it, curling up into a ball. I lay there for a while, softly crying.

_This is all my fault. A lot of people are dead, because of me. Because death is seeming to follow me around like a little lost puppy. I need to leave, I need to spare these people from dying way before their time._

I get up, grabbing the duffle bag from under the bed. I go over to the closet, that’s got the doors hanging off its hinges now, and pull out any clothes that aren’t in blackened tatters. I shove them into the bag, grabbing some ammo from the bedside drawer and shoving it in with the clothes. I then zip up the bag, adjusting the gun on my shoulder before picking up the bag and turning around to leave.

Ben’s stood in front of the door, standing awkward on his crutches.

“Where are you going?”

“Uhh..” I trail off, thinking of a way to tell him. “I’m going for a walk.”

“With your bag?” He raises an eyebrow.

“What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to-”

“Lourdes said it’s fine for me to go after you.” Ben says. “You aren’t leaving, are you?”

“No,” I lie. “No, I’m just going for a walk. I promise.”

“Fine.” He says. “Leave your bag here, then.”

“I can’t,” I say. “I have ammo in there.”

“I can get you some.”

“I’d rather use my own, thanks.” I go to move past him, but, he blocks my way. I sigh, “Look, Ben, can you just let me through?”

“No way. Not until I know where you’re going.”

“Is it really that important to know?”

“When the world’s infested with aliens, yes.” he answers. “Tell me.”

I hesitate, once more trying to move past him but he once again blocks my way.

“Are you leaving because of Maggie?” he asks. “I heard what she said to you, we all did. You really shouldn’t let her-”

“I’m not leaving because of Maggie,” I lie. “I’m not leaving, period. I’m just going for a walk. I’m taking my bag because of ammo, and also to find and carry supplies. Now, Ben, can you please just let me pass?”

Ben hesitates, before he moves to one side. “Fine. But, if you’re not back by sundown, I’m going to come after you, crutches or not.”

“Fine,” I answer, walking out the door.

“Sundown, Phoenix!” I hear him yell as I walk out of the camp. I head west, walking and walking further down the road. Past the camp where we originally stayed at, which now lay in rubble. I walk further and further until I make it to someplace familiar.

The porch light is still on, and so is the candle inside. I push open the door to the cabin and step inside, breathing in that old, familiar feeling. All those months I spent making this place my own. Mostly everything is still here, thankfully, but, I should be able to get things back to the way it was soon enough.

I place my bag down onto the bed, sitting down with a large, long sigh of relief. I kick off my shoes, laying back on the bed and shutting my eyes, letting the homey feeling sink in.

However, I cannot help but feel bad about those I’ve just left behind. Hal, Matt, Ben, Professor Mason… all of the 2nd Mass have grown to trust in me over these past few days, and I’ve just left them in the dirt like that.

_Get over yourself, Phoenix. Remember what Maggie said. You should stay away, before you end up slaughtering them. You’ve survived without them before, you can do it again. They’re safer, without you._

 


	14. fourteen

_I hear a sound, and am instantly awake. I sit up slowly, looking out the window as a bright light shines into my face. Heavy footsteps accompany the light, and I am out of bed. I crouch down, grabbing my gun from the foot of my bed and aiming it at the Skitters that approach._

_I fire, hitting them and killing a few. Then, it’s the Mech’s turn. It points its weapons towards me, and I jump instantly, grabbing my jacket and running out the door, just as the Mech fires. Its rockets collide with the cabin, blowing it to pieces. I let out a breath, watching it go up in place._

_My home, ruined._

_More Skitters approach, and I fire my weapon at them, killing them off. Me versus the Mech, however, is less successful. My bullets barely pierces its armour, and soon I am out of ammo and completely useless._

_“Phoenix!” I hear a noise, someone calling me. I search for the owner of this voice, and see Ben coming towards him. He’s without his crutches, a lot stronger than before._

_“Phoenix, run!”_

_“Ben?!” I yell to him. “What are you-”_

_“Run!” He yells. “Now! Before it-”_

_Before I can move, the Mech fires again. Another rocket, coming towards me. It lands a few inches away from me, sending me backwards. I collide with a tree, my head hitting against the bark, which knocks me unconscious._

_**_

_My eyes open eventually. We’re moving. Ben’s carrying me bridal style, with only a few wounds. I blink, trying to comprehend what just happened, and how he’s even alive._

_“Wh-” I open my mouth to speak, groaning as my head pounds. “What happened?”_

_“I killed the Mech.” Ben answers, looking straight ahead. “You’re welcome, by the way.”_

_“How’d you even-”_

_“I actually didn’t know where to find you. I just walked and walked, waiting and waiting. Until I hear gunfire and go towards the sound. And, there you are.”_

_I stay silent, knowing he’s going to bring up the subject of how I left._

_“What were you even thinking, Phoenix?” Ben asks, finally looking at me. His green eyes stare into mine, and he frowns at me. I turn away from me, disappointed in what I did. “You lied to me. You said you were coming back, and you didn’t.”_

_“I’m sorry-”_

_“Why did you leave?” he asks. “You left m- you left us. Why?”_

_I sigh, knowing soon I’m going to have to come clean about my past. I shake my head, trying my best to extend this lie a little longer. “I-It’s a long story..”_

_“Fine, but we need to get you back to camp. You’re wounded.”_

_I nod, and then it’s silence for the rest of the way there. Once back to camp, everyone’s staring at us. We enter the medbus, and Anne and Lourdes crowd around us._

_“You found her?” Lourdes asks, as Ben carries me through to an empty bed, placing me safely on it. Anne pulls the curtain across when she enters, shutting us off from the other parts of the bus._

_“Yeah, we ran into an ambush of Skitters and a Mech.” I groan, as I can feel the spikes on the back of my neck suddenly send a rush of electricity through me. The pain is unbearable, so much so that I start to scream in pain._

_“Phoenix, Phoenix, you’re okay,” I hear Anne telling me. She places a hand to my forehead, then turns to Lourdes. “She’s burning up. Lourdes, we need 10ccs of morphine, and a cold compress, stat.”_

_Lourdes nods, going to get the stuff. Anne leaves, saying something about how she’s going to get an IV to hook me up to, which leaves me and Ben alone. The pain keeps rushing through me, and Ben takes his hand in mine._

_“It hurts,” I groan. “I-It hurts. I-I can’t..”_

_Lourdes comes back with the morphine and the compress. She presses it to my forehead, and I whimper at the sudden change in temperature. Anne returns with the drip, and they hook the morphine up to me. I let out a soft groan, squeezing my eyes shut._

_“It hurts..” I repeat, as I feel myself losing consciousness. “Please…make it stop…”_

_“We’re trying, I promise.” I hear Lourdes say. “Phoenix, you’re going to be okay, I promise.”_

_“She’s losing consciousness,” Anne says. “I-I don’t know what else we can do-”_

_“We can’t just stop,” I hear Ben says, his voice is loud in my ear. The pain pulses through me quicker. “She’s dying! She… she can’t… she can’t die.”_

_“Ben, we’re trying everything we can.” Anne says._

_“Then try harder.” I hear footsteps - he’s walking away. I’m breathing quicker and deeper as the darkness slowly moves to take over._

_“Anne..” I murmur. “Lourdes..”_

_“Phoenix, we’re here.” Lourdes says. “You’re going to be okay.”_

_“I..” I say, slowly. “I can’t..”_

_The darkness fully takes over then._


	15. fifteen

I groan softly, my eyes opening slowly. A bright light stares down at me and I groan again as the pain slowly fades away. I lift my head slightly, trying to look around at my surroundings. 

Lourdes is tending to the drip that I’m connected to. She notices I’m awake and smiles slightly.

“Hey there, sleepy-head.” she chuckles softly. 

“How long..” my voice is hoarse. I clear my throat, making my voice stronger, then speak again. “How long was I out?”

“Most of the night,” Lourdes says. “You’re lucky Ben found you when he did.”

Lourdes looks over at Ben, who’s sat by my bed. His hand is still in mine, and his head rests against the bed. His body moves up and down slowly as he breathes, and I can hear him softly snoring.

“Y’know, he was worried about you a lot.” Lourdes says. “Always asking how you were. He’s been sat there since I told him you were out, waiting and waiting.”

I nod, and Lourdes smiles again, moving away from the drip. “You seem better, but, we’re just gonna keep you here for a little while longer, just so you can get your bearings.”

“Thanks, Lourdes,” I say. 

“I’m not the one you should be thanking,” she smiles, and Ben groans softly as he wakes up. Lourdes leaves just as he raises his head. He looks around the room, his eyes landing on me eventually. He’s disoriented at first, then his eyes widen as he sits up more.

“You’re awake.” he says.

“Yep.” I reply. 

“How do you feel?”

“Uh..” I trail off. “I dunno. Weird. I can’t really feel that much pain anymore.”

Ben nods, and we sit in silence for a bit. Then, Ben speaks again.

“So, uh..” he trails off, raising his hand to the back of his neck. He smiles at me sheepishly. “You have them too, huh?”

“What?”

“The spikes.” I stare at him in confusion, wondering what he’s going on about. Then, it dawns on me suddenly. I lift my hand to my neck, feeling the cold texture of my skin instead of the fabric of the bandana. 

“Fuck..” I curse under my breath, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath. “You… you weren’t supposed to know. No-one was.”

“Why not?” he asks.

“Because…” I trail off. “Because, I don’t want people thinking I was some sort of freak, that I was some kind of monster. That’s why I hid them away. I just wanted to be normal.”

Ben sighs, nodding. “Understood. I know that feeling. People staring at you weirdly, being known as the Razorback. It sucks.”

I nod, and he continues.

“I never thought I’d find someone else like me, you know.” he says. “Especially not from the same group.”

“Huh?” I ask, again confused. “What do you mean, same group?”

“Oh, you don’t remember?” he asks. “We were harnessed together. For a little while at least. They split us up eventually. We were still close to each other though, like, connected.”

More memories start to return to me. Memories of me being in some sort of feeding grounds. I’m being fed slop from a Skitter. Brief memories of me seeing Ben in amongst the other harnessed kids. 

“Phoenix?” his voice brings me back. “Earth to Phoenix?”

“Yeah, yeah,” I say. “I’m good. It’s just… how come I never recognised you before? Surely I would have, right?”

“Probably not,” Ben says. “I mean, the memories of what happened are only starting to come back for me. I only knew who you were, really, the minute I noticed your spikes, when I’d picked you up when you fell back. I just didn’t say anything about it, I waited until you were fully able to understand.”

“They’ve been coming back to me for a few months,” I answer. “Even stuff from before the invasion.”

He nods.

“Are you going to tell anyone?” I ask. “About… about the spikes?”

“Only if you want me to,” he replies.

“I…” I answer. “I should probably be the one to tell Hal. “You shouldn’t really tell anyone, it’s my secret. I should be the one to share it.”

“Understood.” he nods. “I won’t tell anyone. Skitters honour.”

He lifts his hand, making a Skitter claw shape. He smiles at me, chuckling. I chuckle back.

“What are you doing?”

“Just trying to lighten the mood, I guess.” he shrugs.

“Well, a pinky promise would probably suffice.” I answer, holding up my hand, with only my little finger facing upwards. He smiles a little, wrapping his little finger around mine. 

“I pinky promise not to tell a soul about your spikes.” he says. “But, still, Skitters honour.”

I chuckle again, “Skitters honour.”


	16. sixteen

“Hey, uh, Hal,” I say as I go back to Professor Mason’s bed. Hal’s still there, as well as the professor, who’s still unconscious. Hal looks over at me and smiles brightly as I sit down.

“Arizona!” He greets. “Man, it’s good to see ya. How’ve you been?”

“I’ve been good,” I answer. My eyes drift over to the professor. “Still no improvement?”

“No,” Hal answers, with a sigh and a disappointed tone. His voice drops to a low mumble, “He needs to wake up. He needs to. We need him, all of us. Me, Matt, Ben, all of us.”

I nod, understanding him. “He will wake up, I’m sure.”

I place my hand on Hal’s knee, giving him a small smile to lift his spirits. He smiles at me, picking up my hand and holding it with his own. It’s a nice feeling, as he rubs his thumb over the outside of my hand. We sit in silence, just sharing each other’s company.

“So,” he eventually says. “What brings you around these parts?”

He lets out a small chuckle and I smile, before my smile fades slightly and I take my hand out of his. “I, uh, I actually have something to tell you.”

He looks at me with confusion, turning himself around so that he’s properly facing me. “What is it?”

“Uhm,” I take a deep breath, before letting it out and saying my confession. “Do you remember when you found me?”

“Yeah,” he answers. “By that cabin, you were hunting. And I creamed you by killing those deer,” he chuckles.

“Why?” he asks. “Why is the cabin so important?”

“It’s not so much the cabin, but what I was wearing that day.”

“Oh, I remember that.” Hal answers with a smile. “Camouflage cargo pants, a black tank top, black leather jacket. You had a braid in your hair, over the left shoulder, and a black bandana tied around your neck. That black bandana, you always seem to wear that. Or, you used to. You’re not wearing it now.”

He smiles, like he’s proud of himself for remembering that. Then, his smile drops, and his confused look makes a re-appearance. “Why are you asking me all this?”

“Do you wanna know the reason why I wore that bandana a lot?” I ask.

“Uhh,” he hesitates. “I guess. I just thought it was your style.”

“It does suit me, but that’s not the real reason.” I say.

He nods, and I continue. “On the day of the invasion, I watched my family die in front of me, by the Skitters. Then, after that, they took me away from then. I was, uhm.. I was harnessed.”

“You were harnessed?” he asks, and I nod,

“Yeah, I was. For a few months, then I got out. I escaped, myself. I dunno how I did it; how I mustered up the courage to leave. I just woke up at some point, with a working mind. I just took off my harness and ran.”

“You took off your harness?” Hal asks. “How are you… how are you alive?! No-one can survive their harness being ripped off, as far as we know, anyways..”

“I..” I trail off. “I don’t know how I survived. I just did. And, uhm… for the past year I’ve been hiding my spikes that were left over.”

I take Hal’s hand, placing it on the back of my neck. I feel his hand run over my spikes, and watch his eyes go wide. He takes his hand away, putting it back on my lap.

“Why did you hide them?” he asks.

“Because…” I hesitate, before letting out a sigh and answering. “Because I didn’t feel human, knowing they were there. I felt like I was a monster, just gearing up to kill everyone. I thought with covering them up, and hiding them, I’d forget they were even there. I’d forget they were there, and then I can just be normal. I could just be me, Phoenix. A normal, regular, seventeen year old.”

“Who has alien DNA inside her.” Hal adds. He then sighs, “Phoenix, no-one on this earth is and never was normal, don’t you know that? If we were all normal, it would suck.”

I sigh, and shake my head. “It’s just, you all talk about how much you hate the Skitters, and anything remotely involved with them, and I didn’t want you to hate me.”

“Phoenix, my own brother has the same spikes as you, and, although he can be a bit of a weirdo sometimes, or at least he used to be, I still look out for him and love him. Because, that’s what a brother has to do.”

I nod, keeping quiet. He speaks again, breaking the small silence.

“Uhh, since you confessed something, I feel it’s only fair I got something out too.” he says.

“Okay,” I answer. “Spill those beans.”

“Uhm..” he trails off, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly, before he takes a deep breath and lets it out. “For a little while now, since we’ve been hanging out and stuff, I’ve kinda grown to like you. But, uhm, it’s only for the past few days that I’ve realised I don’t like you, now-”

“Oh,” I frown. “Well, thanks for the newsflash.”

“No, no.” he smiles. “You didn’t let me finish. I don’t like you, Phoenix. I’m actually in love with you.”

“R-Really?” I ask.

“Yeah,” he answers. “A lot. Spikes and all.”

I laugh. “Well, good news for you, Hal Mason. I’m in love with you too.”

“Really?” his eyes light up. “You mean that?”

“Yeah,” I answer. “I mean, you’ve been there for me through a lot of shit. I’m grateful for that. I mean, you offer me food, shelter, sanctuary. No-one has ever really done that for me before. So, yeah. I am in love with you.”

He laughs. “That’s nice then. So, uhm… does this make us an item? Can I, like, kiss you and stuff?”

I chuckle. “Sure. What have I got to lose?”

He smiles a wide smile, chuckling, before he leans in to kiss me. If this was some sort of sitcom show, I swear that the minute his lips touched mine, the studio audience would be losing it. Angels would be singing, the clouds would part and the sun would shine in. Everything in this moment was pure bliss, and I never wanted it to end.

“I thought I told you, Hal,” we hear a voice nearby, and break apart the kiss. Hal looks behind him, at the bed where the professor is laid in. He’s awake, and smiling at us. He’s chuckling as he finishes the rest of his sentence. “To keep it in your pants.”

“Dad!” Hal beams, getting up and standing by his father. “You’re alive!”

“Yeah,” Professor Mason answers. “Like Weaver says, it ain’t over ‘til it’s over.”

Hal and Professor Mason let out a laugh, and I stand up from my seat.

“I feel like I’m intruding,” I say. “I’ll, uh.. I’ll see you guys later.”

“Alright,” Hal answers. “I’ll come find you later, and we can continue where we left off, okay?”

I smile, “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

Professor Mason cracks a smile as he looks at the two of us, and I bow my head towards him as I speak. “Glad to see you’re alive and well, Professor.”

I then take my leave, pulling back the curtain and stepping out as Hal excitedly talks to his father about the things he’s missed. I can hear his father’s reactions, and I smile at it as I walk off.

 


End file.
